1
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Kumar P, Sankaranarayanan R. When Paul Berg meets Donald Crothers: an achiral connection through protein biosynthesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2130-2141. [PMID: 38407292 PMCID: PMC10954443 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Outliers in scientific observations are often ignored and mostly remain unreported. However, presenting them is always beneficial since they could reflect the actual anomalies that might open new avenues. Here, we describe two examples of the above that came out of the laboratories of two of the pioneers of nucleic acid research in the area of protein biosynthesis, Paul Berg and Donald Crothers. Their work on the identification of D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) and 'Discriminator hypothesis', respectively, were hugely ahead of their time and were partly against the general paradigm at that time. In both of the above works, the smallest and the only achiral amino acid turned out to be an outlier as DTD can act weakly on glycine charged tRNAs with a unique discriminator base of 'Uracil'. This peculiar nature of glycine remained an enigma for nearly half a century. With a load of available information on the subject by the turn of the century, our work on 'chiral proofreading' mechanisms during protein biosynthesis serendipitously led us to revisit these findings. Here, we describe how we uncovered an unexpected connection between them that has implications for evolution of different eukaryotic life forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Kumar
- CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad- 201002, India
| | - Rajan Sankaranarayanan
- CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad- 201002, India
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2
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Hager M, Pöhler MT, Reinhardt F, Wellner K, Hübner J, Betat H, Prohaska S, Mörl M. Substrate Affinity Versus Catalytic Efficiency: Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction of tRNA Nucleotidyltransferases Solves an Enzyme Puzzle. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6835633. [PMID: 36409584 PMCID: PMC9728577 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In tRNA maturation, CCA-addition by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase is a unique and highly accurate reaction. While the mechanism of nucleotide selection and polymerization is well understood, it remains a mystery why bacterial and eukaryotic enzymes exhibit an unexpected and surprisingly low tRNA substrate affinity while they efficiently catalyze the CCA-addition. To get insights into the evolution of this high-fidelity RNA synthesis, the reconstruction and characterization of ancestral enzymes is a versatile tool. Here, we investigate a reconstructed candidate of a 2 billion years old CCA-adding enzyme from Gammaproteobacteria and compare it to the corresponding modern enzyme of Escherichia coli. We show that the ancestral candidate catalyzes an error-free CCA-addition, but has a much higher tRNA affinity compared with the extant enzyme. The consequence of this increased substrate binding is an enhanced reverse reaction, where the enzyme removes the CCA end from the mature tRNA. As a result, the ancestral candidate exhibits a lower catalytic efficiency in vitro as well as in vivo. Furthermore, the efficient tRNA interaction leads to a processive polymerization, while the extant enzyme catalyzes nucleotide addition in a distributive way. Thus, the modern enzymes increased their polymerization efficiency by lowering the binding affinity to tRNA, so that CCA synthesis is efficiently promoted due to a reduced reverse reaction. Hence, the puzzling and at a first glance contradicting and detrimental weak substrate interaction represents a distinct activity enhancement in the evolution of CCA-adding enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Franziska Reinhardt
- Computational EvoDevo Group, Institute for Computer Science, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany,Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karolin Wellner
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jessica Hübner
- Computational EvoDevo Group, Institute for Computer Science, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Heike Betat
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sonja Prohaska
- Computational EvoDevo Group, Institute for Computer Science, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany,Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstr. 16-18, 04109 Leipzig, Germany,Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA,Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Josefstädter Str. 39, 1080 Wien, Austria
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3
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Kumar P, Bhatnagar A, Sankaranarayanan R. Chiral proofreading during protein biosynthesis and its evolutionary implications. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:1615-1627. [PMID: 35662005 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Homochirality of biomacromolecules is a prerequisite for their proper functioning and hence essential for all life forms. This underscores the role of cellular chiral checkpoints in enforcing homochirality during protein biosynthesis. D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) is an enzyme that performs 'Chirality-based proofreading' to remove D-amino acids mistakenly attached to tRNAs, thus recycling them for further rounds of translation. Paradoxically, owing to its L-chiral rejection mode of action, DTD can remove glycine as well, which is an achiral amino acid. However, this activity is modulated by discriminator base (N73) in tRNA, a unique element that protects the cognate Gly-tRNAGly . Here, we review our recent work showing various aspects of DTD and tRNAGly co-evolution and its key role in maintaining proper translation surveillance in both bacteria and eukaryotes. Moreover, we also discuss two major optimization events on DTD and tRNA that resolved compatibility issues among the archaeal and the bacterial translation apparatuses. Importantly, such optimizations are necessary for the emergence of mitochondria and successful eukaryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Kumar
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-CCMB campus, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Akshay Bhatnagar
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Rajan Sankaranarayanan
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-CCMB campus, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
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4
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Ender A, Grafl N, Kolberg T, Findeiß S, Stadler PF, Mörl M. Synthetic riboswitches for the analysis of tRNA processing by eukaryotic RNase P enzymes. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2022; 28:551-567. [PMID: 35022261 PMCID: PMC8925977 DOI: 10.1261/rna.078814.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Removal of the 5'-leader region is an essential step in the maturation of tRNA molecules in all domains of life. This reaction is catalyzed by various RNase P activities, ranging from ribonucleoproteins with ribozyme activity to protein-only forms. In Escherichia coli, the efficiency of RNase P-mediated cleavage can be controlled by computationally designed riboswitch elements in a ligand-dependent way, where the 5'-leader sequence of a tRNA precursor is either sequestered in a hairpin structure or presented as a single-stranded region accessible for maturation. In the presented work, the regulatory potential of such artificial constructs is tested on different forms of eukaryotic RNase P enzymes-two protein-only RNase P enzymes (PRORP1 and PRORP2) from Arabidopsis thaliana and the ribonucleoprotein of Homo sapiens The PRORP enzymes were analyzed in vitro as well as in vivo in a bacterial RNase P complementation system. We also tested in HEK293T cells whether the riboswitches remain functional with human nuclear RNase P. While the regulatory principle of the synthetic riboswitches applies for all tested RNase P enzymes, the results also show differences in the substrate requirements of the individual enzyme versions. Hence, such designed RNase P riboswitches represent a novel tool to investigate the impact of the structural composition of the 5'-leader on substrate recognition by different types of RNase P enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ender
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nadine Grafl
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tim Kolberg
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sven Findeiß
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter F Stadler
- Bioinformatics Group, Department of Computer Science and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Science, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, USA
| | - Mario Mörl
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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5
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Human Mitochondrial RNA Processing and Modifications: Overview. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22157999. [PMID: 34360765 PMCID: PMC8348895 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22157999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria, often referred to as the powerhouses of cells, are vital organelles that are present in almost all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. They are the key energy suppliers as the site of adenosine triphosphate production, and are involved in apoptosis, calcium homeostasis, and regulation of the innate immune response. Abnormalities occurring in mitochondria, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations and disturbances at any stage of mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) processing and translation, usually lead to severe mitochondrial diseases. A fundamental line of investigation is to understand the processes that occur in these organelles and their physiological consequences. Despite substantial progress that has been made in the field of mtRNA processing and its regulation, many unknowns and controversies remain. The present review discusses the current state of knowledge of RNA processing in human mitochondria and sheds some light on the unresolved issues.
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6
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Mechanistic insights into mitochondrial tRNA Ala 3'-end metabolism deficiency. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100816. [PMID: 34023389 PMCID: PMC8212662 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial tRNA 3’-end metabolism is critical for the formation of functional tRNAs. Deficient mitochondrial tRNA 3’-end metabolism is linked to an array of human diseases, including optic neuropathy, but their pathophysiology remains poorly understood. In this report, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)-associated tRNAAla 5587A>G mutation, which changes a highly conserved adenosine at position 73 (A73) to guanine (G73) on the 3’-end of the tRNA acceptor stem. The m.5587A>G mutation was identified in three Han Chinese families with suggested maternal inheritance of LHON. We hypothesized that the m.5587A>G mutation altered tRNAAla 3’-end metabolism and mitochondrial function. In vitro processing experiments showed that the m.5587A>G mutation impaired the 3’-end processing of tRNAAla precursors by RNase Z and inhibited the addition of CCA by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (TRNT1). Northern blot analysis revealed that the m.5587A>G mutation perturbed tRNAAla aminoacylation, as evidenced by decreased efficiency of aminoacylation and faster electrophoretic mobility of mutated tRNAAla in these cells. The impact of m.5587A>G mutation on tRNAAla function was further supported by increased melting temperature, conformational changes, and reduced levels of this tRNA. Failures in tRNAAla metabolism impaired mitochondrial translation, perturbed assembly and activity of oxidative phosphorylation complexes, diminished ATP production and membrane potential, and increased production of reactive oxygen species. These pleiotropic defects elevated apoptotic cell death and promoted mitophagy in cells carrying the m.5587A>G mutation, thereby contributing to visual impairment. Our findings may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of LHON arising from mitochondrial tRNA 3’-end metabolism deficiency.
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7
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Hennig O, Philipp S, Bonin S, Rollet K, Kolberg T, Jühling T, Betat H, Sauter C, Mörl M. Adaptation of the Romanomermis culicivorax CCA-Adding Enzyme to Miniaturized Armless tRNA Substrates. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9047. [PMID: 33260740 PMCID: PMC7730189 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitochondrial genome of the nematode Romanomermis culicivorax encodes for miniaturized hairpin-like tRNA molecules that lack D- as well as T-arms, strongly deviating from the consensus cloverleaf. The single tRNA nucleotidyltransferase of this organism is fully active on armless tRNAs, while the human counterpart is not able to add a complete CCA-end. Transplanting single regions of the Romanomermis enzyme into the human counterpart, we identified a beta-turn element of the catalytic core that-when inserted into the human enzyme-confers full CCA-adding activity on armless tRNAs. This region, originally identified to position the 3'-end of the tRNA primer in the catalytic core, dramatically increases the enzyme's substrate affinity. While conventional tRNA substrates bind to the enzyme by interactions with the T-arm, this is not possible in the case of armless tRNAs, and the strong contribution of the beta-turn compensates for an otherwise too weak interaction required for the addition of a complete CCA-terminus. This compensation demonstrates the remarkable evolutionary plasticity of the catalytic core elements of this enzyme to adapt to unconventional tRNA substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Hennig
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
| | - Susanne Philipp
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
| | - Sonja Bonin
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
| | - Kévin Rollet
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
- Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 67084 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Tim Kolberg
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
| | - Tina Jühling
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
- Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 67084 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Heike Betat
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
| | - Claude Sauter
- Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 67084 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Mario Mörl
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (O.H.); (S.P.); (S.B.); (K.R.); (T.K.); (T.J.); (H.B.)
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8
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Pinkard O, McFarland S, Sweet T, Coller J. Quantitative tRNA-sequencing uncovers metazoan tissue-specific tRNA regulation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4104. [PMID: 32796835 PMCID: PMC7428014 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17879-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNA) are quintessential in deciphering the genetic code; disseminating nucleic acid triplets into correct amino acid identity. While this decoding function is clear, an emerging theme is that tRNA abundance and functionality can powerfully impact protein production rate, folding, activity, and messenger RNA stability. Importantly, however, the expression pattern of tRNAs is obliquely known. Here we present Quantitative Mature tRNA sequencing (QuantM-tRNA seq), a technique to monitor tRNA abundance and sequence variants secondary to RNA modifications. With QuantM-tRNA seq, we assess the tRNA transcriptome in mammalian tissues. We observe dramatic distinctions in isodecoder expression and known tRNA modifications between tissues. Remarkably, despite dramatic changes in tRNA isodecoder gene expression, the overall anticodon pool of each tRNA family is similar across tissues. These findings suggest that while anticodon pools appear to be buffered via an unknown mechanism, underlying transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic differences suggest a more complex tRNA regulatory landscape. The relative abundance of specific tRNA can impact protein production rate, folding, and messenger RNA stability. Here the authors describe QuantM-tRNA seq — a method to monitor tRNA abundance and sequence variants — and uncover distinctions in isodecoder expression between tissues that are independent of the anticodon pool of each tRNA family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otis Pinkard
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.,Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics and Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Sean McFarland
- Tevard Biosciences, LabCentral, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Thomas Sweet
- Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - Jeff Coller
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics and Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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9
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Erber L, Hoffmann A, Fallmann J, Hagedorn M, Hammann C, Stadler PF, Betat H, Prohaska S, Mörl M. Unusual Occurrence of Two Bona-Fide CCA-Adding Enzymes in Dictyostelium discoideum. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155210. [PMID: 32717856 PMCID: PMC7432833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Dictyostelium discoideum, the model organism for the evolutionary supergroup of Amoebozoa, is a social amoeba that, upon starvation, undergoes transition from a unicellular to a multicellular organism. In its genome, we identified two genes encoding for tRNA nucleotidyltransferases. Such pairs of tRNA nucleotidyltransferases usually represent collaborating partial activities catalyzing CC- and A-addition to the tRNA 3'-end, respectively. In D. discoideum, however, both enzymes exhibit identical activities, representing bona-fide CCA-adding enzymes. Detailed characterization of the corresponding activities revealed that both enzymes seem to be essential and are regulated inversely during different developmental stages of D. discoideum. Intriguingly, this is the first description of two functionally equivalent CCA-adding enzymes using the same set of tRNAs and showing a similar distribution within the cell. This situation seems to be a common feature in Dictyostelia, as other members of this phylum carry similar pairs of tRNA nucleotidyltransferase genes in their genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselotte Erber
- Institute for Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (H.B.)
| | - Anne Hoffmann
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (A.H.); (J.F.); (P.F.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Jörg Fallmann
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (A.H.); (J.F.); (P.F.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Monica Hagedorn
- Ribogenetics Biochemistry Lab, Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; (M.H.); (C.H.)
| | - Christian Hammann
- Ribogenetics Biochemistry Lab, Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany; (M.H.); (C.H.)
| | - Peter F. Stadler
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (A.H.); (J.F.); (P.F.S.); (S.P.)
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Competence Center for Scalable Data Services and Solutions, and Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad National de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Carrera 45 No. 26-85, Colombia
- Santa Fe Institute for Complex Systems, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry of the University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Heike Betat
- Institute for Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (H.B.)
| | - Sonja Prohaska
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (A.H.); (J.F.); (P.F.S.); (S.P.)
- Computational EvoDevo Group, Department of Computer Science, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mario Mörl
- Institute for Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (H.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-341-9736-911; Fax: +49-341-9736-919
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10
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Czech A. Deep sequencing of tRNA's 3'-termini sheds light on CCA-tail integrity and maturation. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:199-208. [PMID: 31719125 PMCID: PMC6961547 DOI: 10.1261/rna.072330.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The 3'-termini of tRNA are the point of amino acid linkage and thus crucial for their function in delivering amino acids to the ribosome and other enzymes. Therefore, to provide tRNA functionality, cells have to ensure the integrity of the 3'-terminal CCA-tail, which is generated during maturation by the 3'-trailer processing machinery and maintained by the CCA-adding enzyme. We developed a new tRNA sequencing method that is specifically tailored to assess the 3'-termini of E. coli tRNA. Intriguingly, we found a significant fraction of tRNAs with damaged CCA-tails under exponential growth conditions and, surprisingly, this fraction decreased upon transition into stationary phase. Interestingly, tRNAs bearing guanine as a discriminator base are generally unaffected by CCA-tail damage. In addition, we showed tRNA species-specific 3'-trailer processing patterns and reproduced in vitro findings on preferences of the maturation enzyme RNase T in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Czech
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry Department, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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11
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Erber L, Franz P, Betat H, Prohaska S, Mörl M. Divergent Evolution of Eukaryotic CC- and A-Adding Enzymes. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020462. [PMID: 31936900 PMCID: PMC7014341 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthesis of the CCA end of essential tRNAs is performed either by CCA-adding enzymes or as a collaboration between enzymes restricted to CC- and A-incorporation. While the occurrence of such tRNA nucleotidyltransferases with partial activities seemed to be restricted to Bacteria, the first example of such split CCA-adding activities was reported in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we demonstrate that the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta also carries CC- and A-adding enzymes. However, these enzymes have distinct evolutionary origins. Furthermore, the restricted activity of the eukaryotic CC-adding enzymes has evolved in a different way compared to their bacterial counterparts. Yet, the molecular basis is very similar, as highly conserved positions within a catalytically important flexible loop region are missing in the CC-adding enzymes. For both the CC-adding enzymes from S. rosetta as well as S. pombe, introduction of the loop elements from closely related enzymes with full activity was able to restore CCA-addition, corroborating the significance of this loop in the evolution of bacterial as well as eukaryotic tRNA nucleotidyltransferases. Our data demonstrate that partial CC- and A-adding activities in Bacteria and Eukaryotes are based on the same mechanistic principles but, surprisingly, originate from different evolutionary events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieselotte Erber
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (P.F.); (H.B.)
| | - Paul Franz
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (P.F.); (H.B.)
| | - Heike Betat
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (P.F.); (H.B.)
| | - Sonja Prohaska
- Computational EvoDevo Group, Department of Computer Science, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany;
- Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Härtelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
- Santa Fe Institute for Complex Systems, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - Mario Mörl
- Institute for Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; (L.E.); (P.F.); (H.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-341-9736-911; Fax: +49-341-9736-919
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12
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Pawar K, Shigematsu M, Loher P, Honda S, Rigoutsos I, Kirino Y. Exploration of CCA-added RNAs revealed the expression of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs regulated by CCA-adding enzyme. RNA Biol 2019; 16:1817-1825. [PMID: 31512554 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2019.1664885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional non-template additions of nucleotides to 3'-ends of RNAs play important roles in the stability and function of RNA molecules. Although tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (CCA-adding enzyme) is known to add CCA trinucleotides to 3'-ends of tRNAs, whether other RNA species can be endogenous substrates of CCA-adding enzyme has not been widely explored yet. Herein, we used YAMAT-seq to identify non-tRNA substrates of CCA-adding enzyme. YAMAT-seq captures RNA species that form secondary structures with 4-nt protruding 3'-ends of the sequence 5'-NCCA-3', which is the hallmark structure of RNAs that are generated by CCA-adding enzyme. By executing YAMAT-seq for human breast cancer cells and mining the sequence data, we identified novel candidate substrates of CCA-adding enzyme. These included fourteen 'CCA-RNAs' that only contain CCA as non-genomic sequences, and eleven 'NCCA-RNAs' that contain CCA and other nucleotides as non-genomic sequences. All newly-identified (N)CCA-RNAs were derived from the mitochondrial genome and were localized in mitochondria. Knockdown of CCA-adding enzyme severely reduced the expression levels of (N)CCA-RNAs, suggesting that the CCA-adding enzyme-catalyzed CCA additions stabilize the expression of (N)CCA-RNAs. Furthermore, expression levels of (N)CCA-RNAs were severely reduced by various cellular treatments, including UV irradiation, amino acid starvation, inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complexes, and inhibition of the cell cycle. These results revealed a novel CCA-mediated regulatory pathway for the expression of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamlesh Pawar
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Megumi Shigematsu
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Phillipe Loher
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shozo Honda
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Isidore Rigoutsos
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yohei Kirino
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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13
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Leibovitch M, Reid NE, Victoria J, Hanic-Joyce PJ, Joyce PBM. Analysis of the pathogenic I326T variant of human tRNA nucleotidyltransferase reveals reduced catalytic activity and thermal stability in vitro linked to a conformational change. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2019; 1867:616-626. [PMID: 30959222 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The I326T mutation in the TRNT1 gene encoding human tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (tRNA-NT) is linked to a relatively mild form of SIFD. Previous work indicated that the I326T variant was unable to incorporate AMP into tRNAs in vitro, however, expression of the mutant allele from a strong heterologous promoter supported in vivo CCA addition to both cytosolic and mitochondrial tRNAs in a yeast strain lacking tRNA-NT. To address this discrepancy, we determined the biochemical and biophysical characteristics of the I326T variant enzyme and the related variant, I326A. Our in vitro analysis revealed that the I326T substitution decreases the thermal stability of the enzyme and causes a ten-fold reduction in enzyme activity. We propose that the structural changes in the I326T variant that lead to these altered parameters result from a rearrangement of helices within the body domain of the protein which can be probed by the inability of the monomeric enzyme to form a covalent dimer in vitro mediated by C373. In addition, we confirm that the effects of the I326T or I326A substitutions are relatively mild in vivo by demonstrating that the mutant alleles support both mitochondrial and cytosolic CCA-addition in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Leibovitch
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal H4B 1R6, Québec, Canada
| | - N E Reid
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal H4B 1R6, Québec, Canada
| | - J Victoria
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal H4B 1R6, Québec, Canada
| | - P J Hanic-Joyce
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal H4B 1R6, Québec, Canada
| | - P B M Joyce
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. W., Montréal H4B 1R6, Québec, Canada.
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14
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A Temporal Order in 5'- and 3'- Processing of Eukaryotic tRNA His. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20061384. [PMID: 30893886 PMCID: PMC6470698 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20061384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
For flawless translation of mRNA sequence into protein, tRNAs must undergo a series of essential maturation steps to be properly recognized and aminoacylated by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, and subsequently utilized by the ribosome. While all tRNAs carry a 3'-terminal CCA sequence that includes the site of aminoacylation, the additional 5'-G-1 position is a unique feature of most histidine tRNA species, serving as an identity element for the corresponding synthetase. In eukaryotes including yeast, both 3'-CCA and 5'-G-1 are added post-transcriptionally by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase and tRNAHis guanylyltransferase, respectively. Hence, it is possible that these two cytosolic enzymes compete for the same tRNA. Here, we investigate substrate preferences associated with CCA and G-1-addition to yeast cytosolic tRNAHis, which might result in a temporal order to these important processing events. We show that tRNA nucleotidyltransferase accepts tRNAHis transcripts independent of the presence of G-1; however, tRNAHis guanylyltransferase clearly prefers a substrate carrying a CCA terminus. Although many tRNA maturation steps can occur in a rather random order, our data demonstrate a likely pathway where CCA-addition precedes G-1 incorporation in S. cerevisiae. Evidently, the 3'-CCA triplet and a discriminator position A73 act as positive elements for G-1 incorporation, ensuring the fidelity of G-1 addition.
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15
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Kuncha SK, Suma K, Pawar KI, Gogoi J, Routh SB, Pottabathini S, Kruparani SP, Sankaranarayanan R. A discriminator code-based DTD surveillance ensures faithful glycine delivery for protein biosynthesis in bacteria. eLife 2018; 7:38232. [PMID: 30091703 PMCID: PMC6097841 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase (DTD) acts on achiral glycine, in addition to D-amino acids, attached to tRNA. We have recently shown that this activity enables DTD to clear non-cognate Gly-tRNAAla with 1000-fold higher efficiency than its activity on Gly-tRNAGly, indicating tRNA-based modulation of DTD (Pawar et al., 2017). Here, we show that tRNA's discriminator base predominantly accounts for this activity difference and is the key to selection by DTD. Accordingly, the uracil discriminator base, serving as a negative determinant, prevents Gly-tRNAGly misediting by DTD and this protection is augmented by EF-Tu. Intriguingly, eukaryotic DTD has inverted discriminator base specificity and uses only G3•U70 for tRNAGly/Ala discrimination. Moreover, DTD prevents alanine-to-glycine misincorporation in proteins rather than only recycling mischarged tRNAAla. Overall, the study reveals the unique co-evolution of DTD and discriminator base, and suggests DTD's strong selection pressure on bacterial tRNAGlys to retain a pyrimidine discriminator code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Kumar Kuncha
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-CCMB Campus, Hyderabad, India
| | - Katta Suma
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | | | - Jotin Gogoi
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
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16
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Serrão VHB, Silva IR, da Silva MTA, Scortecci JF, de Freitas Fernandes A, Thiemann OH. The unique tRNASec and its role in selenocysteine biosynthesis. Amino Acids 2018; 50:1145-1167. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-018-2595-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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17
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Abstract
Inhibition of tRNA aminoacylation has proven to be an effective antimicrobial strategy, impeding an essential step of protein synthesis. Mupirocin, the well-known selective inhibitor of bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, is one of three aminoacylation inhibitors now approved for human or animal use. However, design of novel aminoacylation inhibitors is complicated by the steadfast requirement to avoid off-target inhibition of protein synthesis in human cells. Here we review available data regarding known aminoacylation inhibitors as well as key amino-acid residues in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) and nucleotides in tRNA that determine the specificity and strength of the aaRS-tRNA interaction. Unlike most ligand-protein interactions, the aaRS-tRNA recognition interaction represents coevolution of both the tRNA and aaRS structures to conserve the specificity of aminoacylation. This property means that many determinants of tRNA recognition in pathogens have diverged from those of humans-a phenomenon that provides a valuable source of data for antimicrobial drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne M Ho
- a Department of BioSciences , Rice University , Houston , TX , United States
| | | | - Dieter Söll
- c Departments of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry , Yale University , New Haven , CT , United States.,d Department of Chemistry , Yale University , New Haven , CT , United States
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18
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Lorenz C, Lünse CE, Mörl M. tRNA Modifications: Impact on Structure and Thermal Adaptation. Biomolecules 2017; 7:E35. [PMID: 28375166 PMCID: PMC5485724 DOI: 10.3390/biom7020035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are central players in translation, functioning as adapter molecules between the informational level of nucleic acids and the functional level of proteins. They show a highly conserved secondary and tertiary structure and the highest density of post-transcriptional modifications among all RNAs. These modifications concentrate in two hotspots-the anticodon loop and the tRNA core region, where the D- and T-loop interact with each other, stabilizing the overall structure of the molecule. These modifications can cause large rearrangements as well as local fine-tuning in the 3D structure of a tRNA. The highly conserved tRNA shape is crucial for the interaction with a variety of proteins and other RNA molecules, but also needs a certain flexibility for a correct interplay. In this context, it was shown that tRNA modifications are important for temperature adaptation in thermophilic as well as psychrophilic organisms, as they modulate rigidity and flexibility of the transcripts, respectively. Here, we give an overview on the impact of modifications on tRNA structure and their importance in thermal adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Lorenz
- Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Christina E Lünse
- Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Mario Mörl
- Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Brüderstraße 34, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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19
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Kuhn CD. RNA versatility governs tRNA function: Why tRNA flexibility is essential beyond the translation cycle. Bioessays 2016; 38:465-73. [PMID: 26990636 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
tRNAs undergo multiple conformational changes during the translation cycle that are required for tRNA translocation and proper communication between the ribosome and translation factors. Recent structural data on how destabilized tRNAs utilize the CCA-adding enzyme to proofread themselves put a spotlight on tRNA flexibility beyond the translation cycle. In analogy to tRNA surveillance, this review finds that other processes also exploit versatile tRNA folding to achieve, amongst others, specific aminoacylation, translational regulation by riboswitches or a block of bacterial translation. tRNA flexibility is thereby not restricted to the hinges utilized during translation. In contrast, the flexibility of tRNA is distributed all over its L-shape and is actively exploited by the tRNA-interacting partners to discriminate one tRNA from another. Since the majority of tRNA modifications also modulate tRNA flexibility it seems that cells devote enormous resources to tightly sense and regulate tRNA structure. This is likely required for error-free protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-D Kuhn
- BIOmac Research Center, Elite Network of Bavaria and University of Bayreuth, NW I, Bayreuth, Germany
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